WoW Forever players might still be using Rank 1 spells without realising it
Learning a new spell rank does not automatically replace the old one.
WoW Forever players are slowly discovering that Spells are not really updating on their action bars.
Yes, learning a higher rank of a spell does not automatically update the version that you bound to your action bar. That means you could be level 20 and running around casting Rank 1 Frostbolt or healing with an outdated version of your best spell without even realising it.
It Mostly Affects Mana Users
This mainly affects mana-based spells.
Classes like Warriors and Rogues automatically get upgraded versions of their abilities, since their rage and energy costs do not provide the same reason to keep lower ranks.
But for Mages or Hunters that use Mana, you can deliberately keep older spell ranks to save mana when your gear is not good enough to compensate for the higher cost. Healers often need to do that, or they run out of mana too early in Dungeons.
So the game is not replacing the version you have on your bar, and you need to do it manually each time you rank a Spell up.
How to Fix Outdated Spell Ranks
If you really never keep a lower rank spell, there is a quick workaround that you can use.
It does not take long to open your Spellbook, find the upgraded spell, and drag its highest rank onto your action bar. But it is also fine if you just want it to "update" on its own, without having to remember to do it each time.
So if you do not want to keep replacing spells manually, you can also use macros.
In order to do that, you need to follow a few steps:
Open your in-game menu (you need to be logged into your character)
Open the Macro tab
Create a macro using the spell's name without specifying its rank:
/cast [ability name]
So for example /cast Frostbolt
Replace the spell name with any of your own spells, and you will be good to go. When you use it, it will then automatically cast the highest rank available of your spell.
So now you will not have to update your skill bar anymore every time you visit a class trainer and increase the ranks of your spells.
You can also enable "Show All Spell Ranks" using the small dropdown arrow in the top-right corner of the Spellbook if you want access to older versions. So, in case you slotted a spell rank that requires too much mana and you want to use the lower version for now, you can still swap it out.
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